Our nation’s self-image has now been shattered
At its heart, Australians see their country as a model of liberalism. Its dominant ethos is a belief in the equal value and dignity of all human beings. Any discrimination based on innate characteristics is regarded as anathema. This self-image of Australia has now been shattered.
It is clear there are elements of Australian society that do not regard the 100,000 Jewish Australians as of equal value. They have been harassed and discriminated against over the past two years since the tragic events of October 7, 2023.
There was a demonstration outside the Sydney Opera House where demonstrators were heard shouting “Gas the Jews” or “Where’s the Jews”. Synagogues have been burnt to the ground, and anti-Semitic slogans have been spray-painted onto the walls of Jewish schools and houses owned by Jews.
Elements of the Australian media have made their own contribution to this atmosphere. The ABC has frequently taken at face value claims made by Hamas, a terrorist organisation, against the Israeli Defence Force. Much of the reporting coming out of the Middle East was deeply hostile to Israel.
And then there’s the Australian government. Australia traditionally has been a strong supporter of Israel and its right to exist. This time, the Australian government has picked up on anti-Israeli media reports inspired by Hamas propaganda and chastised the Israeli government during the war in Gaza.
They have frequently condemned the Netanyahu government and astonishingly decided to use this time to announce their recognition of a Palestinian state. It would be nice to think the Australian government had been inspired by principle, but it hasn’t. It’s been inspired by politics.
It has taken an anti-Israeli position because it wants to stem the flow of Muslim votes, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne from the Labor Party to the Greens. By being seen to be hostile to Israel, the government thought it would endear itself to Islamic voters.
So, a combination of all these things has led to an astonishing rise in anti-Semitism in Australia, culminating with the Bondi Beach Massacre. The Jewish community has repeatedly warned both the federal and state governments of the dangers of a rising tide of anti-Semitism. The government has paid lip service to these concerns but has taken almost no action.
All this in a country which has had two Governors-General who were Jewish, and whose greatest general, Sir John Monash, was Jewish. Jews have thrived, contributing mightily to modern Australia through science, politics, medicine, and the law. As Jewish leaders themselves have said, Jews regarded Australia as a safe haven free of the entrenched anti-Semitism of parts of Europe.
Australia was always seen as a safe space for Jews. What’s more the Australian government has traditionally been a strong supporter of the state of Israel. That hasn’t been a matter of partisan consideration. The Labor government in the 1940s strongly campaigned for and supported the establishment of the State of Israel. Australia has since given strong diplomatic support to Israel, sometimes finding itself in a tiny minority in voting in the United Nations General Assembly.
Australians have learnt a harsh lesson: they can’t afford to be complacent about the country’s inherent liberalism and its commitment to a multiracial, multicultural society that requires work. And in particular, it requires leadership from politicians and the media. That has been lacking over the last two years. We can only hope that some good comes from the Bondi massacre and we can return to our liberal traditions.
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Australians are quite literally shocked by the Bondi Beach massacre. They are shocked because these sort of incidents occur in other countries, but not in quiet, liberal, tolerant Australia. And what’s more, this was not a random shooting, this was a deliberate assault on the Australian Jewish community.